Dock Rats

This marina is pretty nice. The price seems a bit high to me, but the monthly cost brings the price down to something more reasonable. Of course, if you look at it as a seasonal Florida rental, it's a bargain. They did cut us a break. Boats are charged by the foot. A 40 foot boat pays more than a 30 foot boat. This marina has a 30 foot minimum charge, but they are charging us the actual length of 23 feet.

Marinas collect people. They come in on their boats, tie up, and inertia sets in. It's easy to plug into the water and electric on the dock and not have to worry about how your anchor is set. It can been good for a while, but that's not what boats are meant to do. To me, boats are all about freedom. Moving into a marina can be a self imposed prison.

I had one guy ask me why I'd want to go anywhere else as this marina was so nice. I told him the world was full of nice places and you can't see them if you never leave. Maybe it'll make sense to me to tie up to a nice marina when I'm 90.

Our boat projects continue. I dug out the little Honda and got it working. I think the gas was treated as it hadn't gone bad. However, old gas, even if treated, loses some of the more volatile compounds. That makes it harder to start a small engine. It took a bit of fiddling around, but I did get the little motor running well.

Very little gas came with the boat. That's both good and bad. It's good as there's not a lot of old gas to worry about on the boat. It's bad because I've got to get some before I go too far. The nearest gas station is a long walk. They deliver gas to the marina, but it's by the truck load. Since I need like 2 gallons, I don't think they'd come out here for free. There are marinas close by with fuel on the dock, plus someone might give me a ride to a gas station.

We plan on casting off the lines by the middle of next week or so.

-Sixbears